


Sweet Dreams Aren't Made of This

by ithasthegay_fanfiction



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Background Relationships, Gen, Tumblr Prompt, Whump Bingo, background klance, shiro whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 08:02:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14930369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ithasthegay_fanfiction/pseuds/ithasthegay_fanfiction
Summary: based on a tumblr request: Shiro is ashamed/ scared to sleep because of nightmares-Shiro always left right after most of the team fell asleep, he didn’t want to have to answer their questions if he left earlier than that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time and bond with his fellow paladins, because he did. Really! But he was… he was so scared to sleep around them on account of his nightmares. They didn’t come every night, but Shiro never wanted to risk scaring his team. Shiro didn’t sleep much anyway… On a good night, he only got maybe four or five hours of sleep. On bad nights, though… He would barely sleep at all, his sleep plagued by nightmares that would wake him with screams and feelings of pure terror. Shiro was just lucky that their sleeping quarters were soundproofed.





	Sweet Dreams Aren't Made of This

**Author's Note:**

> based on a tumblr whump bingo post!
> 
> this is actually my first time writing anything focused on shiro so I hope you all like it!
> 
> If you like what you read or want to request a prompt, come yell at me on tumblr @it-has-the-gay-fanfiction
> 
> kudos and comments keep me going!

It had become routine for the paladins to have a movie night once a phoeb, so basically around a month in Earth time. It was a great way to relax and also to bond as a team. Most times the movie night turned into a sleepover in the lounge, Hunk being the first to normally doze off, followed by Lance and Keith or sometimes even Pidge. Shiro always left right after most of the team fell asleep, he didn’t want to have to answer their questions if he left earlier than that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time and bond with his fellow paladins, because he did. Really! But he was… he was so  _ scared _ to sleep around them on account of his nightmares. They didn’t come every night, but Shiro never wanted to risk scaring his team. Shiro didn’t sleep much anyway… On a good night, he only got maybe four or five hours of sleep. On bad nights, though… He would barely sleep at all, his sleep plagued by nightmares that would wake him with screams and feelings of pure terror. Shiro was just lucky that their sleeping quarters were sound proofed. 

That being said, the movie night schedule wasn’t exactly set in stone because they never knew what would come next. They were sort of a spontaneous thing, even more so when it became apparent that Keith was officially leaving Voltron to join the Blade of Marmora. After Keith, they started holding the official movie nights when he was back on the castle during his small breaks from his Blade missions, as per Lance’s insistence. Shiro wasn’t really sure what was going on between the two, but honestly he was just happy that they seemed to be getting along better. 

Shiro was pulled from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see who it was and raised an eyebrow. “Hey Lance. Something you needed?” He asked, keeping his tone light.

“Keith is going to be on the castle tonight!” Lance smiled so widely that Shiro thought his cheeks were going to tear. “And you know what that means.” 

“Movie night?” Shiro asked, even though he already knew the answer to his question. 

Lance nodded rapidly and pulled his hand off Shiro’s shoulder. “We’ve got a good one picked out for tonight.” Lance seemed to sober a bit and looked Shiro over. “Are you going to stay the whole night this time? You know we won’t judge you if you end up falling asleep during the movie.” 

“I always stay the whole time…” Shiro half lied, sure he stayed for the whole movie, but never the sleeping part. 

“Seriously Shiro, are you doing okay?” Lance asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Shiro blinked in surprise at the shift in Lance’s mood as well as the question. “What? I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“Well… you don’t look like you’ve been sleeping much lately and sometimes I hear you patrolling the halls late at night. Plus you never really stay the whole time for movie nights.” Lance held up a finger to silence Shiro when he tried to butt in. “No you don’t stay the whole time and you know it, we all know it. What bothers you so much that you won’t have a sleepover with me and the others?” Lance questioned with a slight frown.

“Nothing! There is nothing wrong with that or you guys…. It’s me.” Shiro said, his posture deflating a little. “I’m the problem…”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. Can you explain it to me?” Lance’s tone softened, like he was trying to reassure Shiro and calm him down. 

“I… I have nightmares. Really bad ones,” Shiro took a deep breath before continuing, unable to look Lance in the eye, “Normally they are about my time as a prisoner with the Galra and I usually wake up screaming and terrified. Most of the time I don’t realize where I am when I first wake up from these nightmares and I lash out at any perceived threat. I just… I guess I was -  _ am -  _ scared of how you guys will react or that I might accidentally hurt you…” Shiro looked down, sounding both miserable and relieved to get that off of his chest. He was surprised when he was wrapped up in two lanky arms. 

“It’s okay, Shiro! We all get nightmares, though I know that they probably aren’t as intense as the ones you get,” Lance tightened the hug he trapped Shiro in, “but you know you can talk to any of us about it. Me, Hunk, Keith, Allura, Coran, or hell, even Pidge! We are all willing to sit and lend an ear when you need it.” Lance pulled back to look Shiro in the eye, “Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean that you are infalible. You’re human just like us - well most of us. We might not be able to completely understand what you have gone through, but we empathize with you, Shiro! We care about you, and nightmares or not, we want you to team bond with us and have a sleepover! Plus, if you sleep in the lounge with us, we can help you calm down from any nightmares you may get.” Lance smiled and stepped back. “All you have to do is ask and trust us.”

Shiro stared at Lance in shock, not expecting such a heartfelt speech from someone who he had thought to be the team goofball.  _ Maybe I need to reevaluate my team… Lance is supposed to be my right hand man now and I keep expecting him to act just as Keith did… but Lance is his own person. It’s not fair to him that I expect him to be just like Keith was.  _ “Thank you, Lance.” Shiro finally said softly after a long stretch of silence.

Lance’s smile softened, “Anytime, Shiro.” He grabbed Shiro’s wrist, “Now come on! We need to get ready for movie night!” Lance laughed and dragged Shiro to the lounge. 

_ Maybe I will stay the whole time… nightmares or not… I’ve been too distant from my team lately.  _ Shiro let his mind wander as he listened to Lance babble on about whatever movie they would be watching. He was still worried of course, but maybe… just maybe he would enjoy himself and bond with his team again tonight. 

**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr to get faster updates! if you wanna help me out check the links in my bio


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